The newly re-formed Hooksett Police Association raised money at Saturday's Old Home Day with a dunk tank that allowed the public to send officers, like Muzafer Aku, into the water (BENJAMIN KLEIN PHOTO)

Dunk tank

Hooksett Police Association returns after lengthy absence

By BENJAMIN C. KLEINUnion Leader Correspondent

HOOKSETT — After more than a decade of being out of commission, members of the Hooksett Police Association are hoping that today's golf tournament will help the newly reformed group hit the ground running.

.Out of existence since 2001, Captain Jon Daigle said that recent interest in reforming the association began to increase when the department started to fill up with new officers.

"We put it back together because it is a good way to show fellowship with one another. It also provides us an avenue to give back to the community so that we can be in partnership with them. It is very important that we are both professionally and personally invested in the community," Chief Peter Bartlett said...Daigle added that the association, which is completely separate from the police union, is designed to raise money to help members of the association who are having financial difficulties due to things like medical bills and give back to the community. At Saturday's Old Home Day, the group had a booth where residents could try to hit a target with a baseball that, if hit, would send a member of the association into a small pool of water..."Any money raised goes to help the membership with things like unexpected medical cost, but also to use it for community things, like to sponsor children's baseball teams. It's a way to get back out to the community the same way the fire department does," Daigle said...Daigle said that since the association is only a couple months old, today's golf tournament at the Pembroke Pines Country Club in Pembroke will be a great way to raise money and get the word out that the association is back..."The tournament is to get the association up and running," Daigle said.

According to police officials, Paul Lemire and Peter Bouffard, owners of L&B Construction Management in Hooksett, conceived the tournament..."It's about doing something to show our appreciation for the officers and employees of the department," Lemire said in a statement.

"We know the hard work and dedication of the people who work in our police department and we just want them to know we support them," Bouffard said in the same statement...Bartlett said that an important aspect of the association and events like the golf tournament will be allowing the public to see members of the department in situations beyond an official capacity.

"I am looking forward to the golf tournament. I can guarantee I won't win but I guarantee I will have fun," Bartlett said...bklein@newstote.com..